-news of death had circulated before she was told
Carlecia Adams, the wife of late Guyanese music artiste Emmanuel James better known as Lil Saint says one of the most painful moments of her husband’s death was discovering that news of his passing had already begun circulating on social media before she was officially informed by hospital staff.
Speaking through tears in a lengthy video shared on social media, Adams recounted what she described as her husband’s final hours at the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he had undergone surgery, while raising concerns about the care he received following the procedure.
According to Adams, doctors had assured her the operation was successful.
“The doctor replied and said the surgery was successful… The doctor come and the doctor show me what they cut and removed from him… He said right now we’re recovering, maybe 4 o’clock is the best time to see him.”
However, she said that when she returned later that afternoon, nurses told her Lil Saint had removed the tube that had been inserted through his nose and that he had been calling out for her.
“When I reach, two nurse told me he pulled out the nose tube that was supposed to drain his stomach… He was calling for me, he was bawling for me, but he didn’t have the phone for calling.”
During her visit, Adams said her husband repeatedly begged for relief from severe pain.
“He keep telling me, ‘Pain, pain. Go and get the doctor, he want medication.'”
She said she requested additional pain medication on his behalf but was told he had already received medication and would have to wait before another dose could be administered.
“He was asking for fentanyl. They said 50 minutes before I come they give him, and they got to wait until 5 or 6 o’clock to give him.”
Adams also recalled that before she left, a nurse checked his blood sugar and informed her it was elevated.
“One of the nurse there said when they’re giving him the medication at 6, they’re going to give him insulin as well.”
She further alleged that she objected after learning staff intended to administer a medication she says her husband had previously reacted badly to.
“I said, ‘He’s allergic to that.’ She said that is nowhere on the list that he’s allergic. I said, ‘Yes, all private hospitals have that… He vomit blood.'”
According to Adams, shortly before she left the hospital, Lil Saint became increasingly distressed.
“When I walk off, he turn his neck and he start getting stiff… his hand, he start lashing it hard on the bed… I hold his hand down and I try to comfort him.”
Later that night, she said her husband video-called her from his hospital bed.
“His face was there in the camera… He said, ‘Pain, pain. This pain gonna kill me.'”
She said he told her he was struggling to breathe, that his body was becoming numb and stiff, and that he was seeing “a bright light.”
“He said, ‘My body feeling stiff… My body getting numb.'”
Adams said she urged him to call for a nurse and claimed she overheard hospital staff telling him that his oxygen levels were normal despite his complaints.
“He say he can’t breathe… And they say, ‘Your oxygen level normal.'”
Fearing for his condition, she said she began trying to arrange for him to be transferred to another medical facility.
“I said, ‘Baby, I’m going to make some calls and see if we can get a transport to Balwant Singh Hospital for better medical treatment.'”
She said the last thing she heard from him was that a doctor had come to assist him.
“I heard a male voice… He was like, ‘Let me call you back.'”
The following morning, Adams said she received an urgent telephone call from the hospital asking her to come in.
“When I answer the phone, the person said, ‘Are you a relative of Emmanuel? The doctor would like to see you. Urgent.'”
She said that while making her way to the hospital, she was shocked to discover that messages had already begun flooding her phone.
“I saw my phone. A lot of people texting on Facebook, ‘Are you okay? Are you okay?’ I don’t know how it reach on the internet that my husband died and I ain’t know first.”
Adams said she immediately contacted her family.
“I call my children… I call my mom, I call his cousins. I said, ‘Come meet me at the hospital. I don’t know what going on, but please come with me.”
Adams said her husband had battled severe health issues for the past four years due to excessive use of alcohol which made him develop a mass on his pancreas.
Throughout the emotional video, Adams thanked the public for their condolences and pleaded with persons not to rush to judgement as she mourns the loss of her husband. She said she plans to share more about his years-long health battle and the events leading up to his death.
Kiskadee Watch has reached out to the CEO of the Georgetown Public Hospital for a comment but has yet to receive a response.
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